Our imaginations and creativity thrived through our ability to create unique specialty items for that little Princess, Knight in Shining Armor, Queen, or King- We are “Forever and Always” on the hunt for a chic, unique, vintage item inspired in our eclectic yet simple collection. We carry out our creativity in our own home town with our own simple flare, love for our children, and grandchildren.

Friday, July 1, 2011

I have been working on "designing" the new baby boy's room. And we have come up with a sophisticated pallet for this nursery. We want orange, tan, white and navy blue. Here is a picture of the crib wall as I have it pictured. Obviously, the door is the door into the room and it opens up directly to where the crib will be placed. I plan to sew a wall drape to hang behind the crib out of drop cloth material and orange textured cotton. We may make or hang something over the crib, but for now we haven't found the perfect thing. The cream/white rectangle to the right is a small bookshelf which will be painted to match the dresser and armoire going on the adjoining walls. The bedding we plan to use is from Pottery Barn.The armoire we have is very similar to this one found at County Living.The Bombay chest we have is very very similar to this one found at Sarah Jane Furniture.The crib we have was purchased for our first on, used for our Daughter, and will be used again for our new Son. It was purchased from Babies-R-Us, but is a Stork Craft in Cognac.We plan to paint the ceiling with white and navy blue stripes like in the picture below found on cantyshantyvia google.So, these are the staple items, and I will post pictures as we go. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do!

Monday, June 6, 2011

I have a disclaimer: this day did not go quite as planned, BUT...It was such a fun day. I couldn't sleep, so I got up early (for a weekend) and started baking cupcakes (four dozen to be exact). Knight I helped me mix and pour the cupcakes into the baking cups. While the cupcakes were cooling we fed kids, vacuumed floors, bleached bathroom floors, cleaned counter tops...pretty much did stuff that had to wait until the last minute or else they would be worthless with 2 little ones running around! So around 11:00am the Queen Grandma came over to help finish up, BUT...she couldn't help, she had something to her back while picking out stuff from upstairs at the ranch house and was in extreme extreme pain. I asked her if she needed to go to the emergency room, but she refused. So around 12:30pm the King Daddy helped her out of the chair and into her vehicle. We called Grandpa and told him to watch for her because she could not get out of her car by herself. At 2:00pm Grandpa called and said that they were going to the emergency room and would not be at our gender reveal party. Needless to say I was very disappointed that they would miss all the fun, but we let the Queen Grandma go with us to the ultrasound and we swore her to secrecy, so she already knew what the sex was. So about this time I started taking fun pictures of my sweet kids. Below is Easton kissing London...my favorite!

London is trying to look mad....Easton is doing a goofy face.So here is the final table. I tried to keep is very simple. I made cupcakes, hollowed out the center and filled them with the appropriate colored frosting, then frosted the tops with just enough frosting to hide the color of frosting.

Here is the pink side. King Daddy ran and picked up the last few things (since the Queen Grandma couldn't bring her stuff). We had pink and white animal cookies and red licorice bites.

Here is the blue side. In the jar in the back was salt water taffy and blue cookies and creme kisses.Again, the finished table for our small gathering.

Best picture of my kids and I. The other pictures are better of me, but not as cute of my kiddies. And about a half of a second earlier Easton had his hand on my belly too, but boys are embarrassed, I suppose. Also, you can kind of see my belly...you really can't tell until I'm like 7 months pregnant (because I'm so tall I think), but I guess it's better this way...I never look HUGE!Here is team PINK!Here is team BLUE!Everyone had just opened their cupcakes...it's a.....BOY!!!!!!!!!!! There is blue frosting inside those cupcakes!!My Grandma said "Oh no, it's a boy". She was not so happy! It was actually the response we expected from her....So, in October a sweet baby boy will join our family making the count: 2 blue and 1 pink; and my parents grandchild count: 4 blue and still only 1 pink princess!!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Maternity Clothes: A mix of regular clothes with the bella band and maternity clothes. My good friend loaned me two bags of her maternity clothes which has really really helped get me through thus far!

Gender: Unknown

Movement: If I sit still the baby kicks pretty hard, and the King Daddy can now feel the kicks from the outside.

Sleep: I have been sleeping fine, with the exception of our 2 year old who is having some trouble transitioning into her big girl bed.What I miss: I miss playing rough with my kids in the floor because now I can't lay down and play airplane with either one of them, but especially my 5 year old.

Cravings: I like salty anything (chips, salsa, etc.)!

Aversions: Nothing.

Symptoms: Other than having a belly sticking out, and feeling weak on occasion...feeling pretty good.

Best Moment this week: Our 5 year old son (KnightI) graduated from preschool this week, and that was a pretty big deal. I had to work, so the King Daddy took lots and lots of pictures for me! We put up Queen London's big girl bed and one afternoon we went looking for her and she had climbed up into her bed and gone to sleep all by herself....it was very sweet.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

On Friday, we will find out the sex of our newest baby. We already have the names picked out and will announce them on Saturday to our families. I have planned to have cupcakes there that have been hollowed out and filled with appropriately colored filling, and then frosted in vanilla or chocolate frosting. About half way through our get together we plan to pass out the cupcakes and everyone gets to bite into them together. We also asked that everyone wear the color (pink or blue) that they think the baby will be and we have a little contest. Once everyone knows we will announce the name. So 2 days and counting until we know what we're having, and 3 days and counting until we tell everyone what we're having!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

So, you know how I've been saying that I'm super busy, and I just can't find the motivation to craft, and how London wore a shirt that had to be decoded by the rest of our family? Well that's because we are having another baby!!! Surprise, another little King or Queen is on the way, and we just can't wait to meet the little avocado (you see, babycentersays that as of today, our little baby is the size of an avocado)!! We will find out in about 3 weeks what sex the baby is, and we can't wait. Eddie and I think we have come up with the perfect names, but we are going to keep the names a secret until we know what the baby is. THEN, we are going to surprise the Queen Grandma. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do a reveal that is special and fun? Please let me know! So without further ado....BABY KING 3

Sunday, May 8, 2011

This past weekend the Queen Grandma helped to decorate for a wedding that took place in Visalia. The colors were hot pink, lime green, and black and white. My Dad was the officiant, so here is the Queen Grandma and Grandpa lighting candles before hand.

Kylie and her Father walking long path to the aisle.Below is a photo of Mike and Kylie hand in hand during the ceremony. You can see the piece that the Queen Grandma re purposed from Roxanne's wedding. It is an apparatus that is covered in fabrics that match the wedding, and frames are tied to hang within the art piece.Thank goodness Kylie provided bubbles for their exit. We utilized those a little early! Easton wanted to know when it was going to be over....AND the wedding hadn't even started yet!!!Here is a little bit better picture of the altar, the bride and groom, and the aisle. The Queen Grandma and the Mother of the Bride spent two hours on their hands and knees laying rose petals down the aisle in the shapes of scrolls. Well, needless to say, they just look like petals after approximately 7 bridesmaids and the bride!Congratulations Mike & Kylie!!After the ceremony, as the guests were leaving we let our kids run wild for a little bit! Easton blew bubbles and London chased them.Since Grandpa officiated the wedding, we had to get a picture at the altar. Maybe someday Grandpa can marry them...someday, someday a lot time from now!Queen Grandma re purposed the cupcake stand as well at this wedding. The Bride did something unbelievable....she made everyone of those cupcakes for the reception herself!!Below is a photo of the cake table and cupcake stand. In addition to the cupcakes and cake, the venue served cheesecake...mmmm!! Easton loved his first piece of cheesecake, while London thought it was disgusting! Queen Grandma decorated this table using a glass jar full of bridal pieces, black and white fabric, mossy ferns, a vintage iron table, and wood chips.A better picture of the actual cake table.The Bride also cut out circles from her favorite book and cardstock to match the colors to spread throughout the reception.My Son started to get bored waiting for the bridal party...so he built a fork sculpture!And here is the sweet little Queen BEFORE the wild hit her. It was hard to sit still for that long. She was wild, not bad in any way, just busy, busy, busy!...but London took the time to sit and attentively listen to the bridal parties toasts.London asked to dance with the groom, so she paid for her dance!Kylie also provided a photo booth. The Kings happily obliged to take a photo... Obviously, I wasn't quite ready for the picture to be taken, but you get the idea!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

So the Easter weekend was super fun for us, even though it was busy! Friday I took off work at noon, and we took the kids to the movies to see the movie "Hop". It was really cute, but my Daughter is too young for the theatre, or so we learned. Then Friday night I boiled eggs and put them back in the fridge to get cold, and baked cupcakes for my Sister-in-law's thirteenth birthday part at the zoo on Saturday. So Saturday morning we got up early, frosted said cupcakes, got everyone ready and drove one hour north to the zoo. The kids had a blast at the zoo, almost lost our little one as she thinks everyone is fun to walk with! After that trip I was convinced I need a leash!! We got home from the zoo and the picnic and after everyone had rested a bit, the kids were ready to dye some eggs. London helped first...Easton helped next...They were sooooo excited when the eggs actually turned colors! Easton's favorite is always green, but our green was WEAK this year, so other colors started taking precedent.The Easter Bunny brought the kids new baskets (because last years matching buckets got left on the back porch and are now rusty/disgusting), butterfly nets, bug catchers, PEZ dispensers, chocolate bunnies, swimming goggles, lots and lots of candy, and Easton: a boat for search and rescue missions, and London: peeps lipstick (which we did have to take away since she keeps eating it!!).Grandma took her little ducklings on a walk, and helped them find their special eggs.Easton found his yearly green egg. Doesn't he look thrilled to post for my pictures?!

My sweet nephew, Knight III, hunting for his very own eggs, playdoh, and hula hoop.

The Queen Grandma pulled this dress out and washed it for me. She asked if London could wear it for Easter because it was my Easter dress approximately twenty (cough cough)-seven years ago. Doesn't my sweet girl look so sweet wearing her Mommy's very own Easter dress. When I put the little petti-slip on underneath the dress London swayed back and forth saying "pitty Mommy pitty". She did look pretty, and I was so excited for my family to see this sweet one.

The Queen Grandma LOVES to take Pumpkin Carriage rides, so TJ hooked up the tractor and took all of the kids and a few choice adult/teenage chaperone's for rides.

This picture is especially neat because you can see the pumpkin carriage being pulled around the vineyard, and in the background is the house. That house was built in 1875, and my Great Great Grandpa bought it in 1896. My Great Grandpa Renaud was born in that house and passed in the house; my Grandpa was born in a small house (that no longer stands) just to the northeast of the house), and now my parents live there with my Grandma (who thinks she's the Queen). The house still has many of the original fixtures and character that it had, but has been upgraded by my parents in the last 3 years. Well I hope everyone had a great Easter. We enjoyed our family and friends.